The Most Beautiful Flowers -- Kenji Toma

$35.00

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The Most Beautiful Flowers by Kenji Toma brings the inner beauty and essence of the flower as seen through the eyes of the experienced photographer. From his careful selection of paper to how to present flowers in his photographs, Toma revives the concept of the botanical encyclopedia.

This photo series is Kenji Toma's homage to the botanical illustrations in Choix Des Plus Belles Fleurs by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, one of the most well-regarded flower encyclopedias of the nineteenth century. Back when color photography did not exist, these images were illustrated with the purpose of replicating the botanic subject as realistically as possible.

In The Most Beautiful Flowers, Toma is interested in doing the exact opposite with the photographic medium which, realistic by nature, can also be used to make a subject look unreal and artificial. The result makes ﻿The Most Beautiful Flowers ﻿a must have for anyone who loves flowers, photography and art.

Kenji Toma (b. in Niigata, Japan) is an award-winning photographer living in New York. After establishing his photography career in Tokyo, Toma arrived in New York in 1990. Since then, he has been recognized as one of the leading commercial still-life photographers with his unique mysterious style and detail-oriented vision. Concurrently, he is working on personal projects and The Most Beautiful Flowers is his most representative work.

The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food — Tanya L.K. Denckla

$18.00

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I'm determined to turn my husband into an organic urban farmer, and this book — highly recommended by my uber-gardener friends — helped get him off to a great start! (See below the 70+ healthy basil seedlings he is growing from seed! And, there still are lots of seeds left in the one packet he used! Just think of all of the money we've saved, and we know that all of the plants are being grown organically. Fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil salads here we come!)

Before it was a book, The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Foodwas organic gardener Tanya L. K. Denckla's highly prized personal database, the distillation of years of careful research and hands-on, real-life, dirt-under-the-fingernails experience in growing her own vegetables, herbs, fruits, and nuts.

Now available to all, this easy-to-read sourcebook offers much to gardeners of all skill levels, answering questions quickly and authoritatively so more time can be spent enjoying the garden.

Fully half of the book is dedicated to organic remedies that can prevent or combat 201 plant diseases and garden pests. Hundreds of common diseases and pests are discussed, as well as which plants are likely to be affected, how to recognize the problem, and tried-and-true natural remedies.

The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food demystifies how to work collaboratively with the complex natural systems of the environment AND makes gardening a little easier and definitely more fun!

Ready to get your organic urban farmer on? Get this and get growing! We are!

Tanya Denckla Cobb is a writer, a professional environmental mediator at the Institute for Environmental Negotiation, and a teacher of food system planning at the University of Virginia.

She is passionate about bringing people together to find common ground and create solutions for mutual gain. She co-founded a community forestry nonprofit organization, served as Executive Director of the Virginia Urban Forest Council, and facilitated the birth of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute and the Virginia Food System Council.

At home, she enjoys the restorative energy of gardening and cooking from her garden. She lives in Virginia and is the author of Reclaiming Our Food, The Gardener’s A to Z Guide to Growing Organic Food, and Organic Gardener’s Home Reference.

A gentle guide to the green world . . . organized precisely how a non-botanist would need it done. Chapters introduce the plant kingdom and how botanists classify it; tackle growth, form and function; and take you inside a plant to understand how its cells, nutrition and hormones actually function. Others explore reproduction, soil, pests and disorders. . . It's a beautiful book

— Denver Post

For anyone who has been horrified by the lopsided life that remains after a bout of pruning, gardening writer Geoff Hodge has some gentle advice: Pruning is both an art and a science. You’ll be better equipped to take on the challenge after reading the chapter on pruning in Practical Botany for Gardeners. . . . Botanical illustrations on almost every page add a decorative touch, and profiles of botanical artists pay tribute to those who make plants come alive on the page

— Boston Globe

The more I learn about gardening (organic, of course! — whether its my efforts to become an urban farmer or just to grow sustainably — the less I realize I know! I do know that understanding The Basics is essential, but identifying all of them, understanding each and then seeing how they are all connected and complement each other can be challenging, to say the least!

Gardening can be frustratingly shrouded in secrecy.

You know the drill. Fickle plants make seemingly spontaneous decisions to bloom or bust, seeds sprout magically in the blink of an eye, and deep-rooted mysteries unfold underground and out of sight. Understanding basic botany is like unlocking a horticultural code. Fortunately, learning a little science can reveal the secrets of the botanical universe and shed some light on what’s really going on in your garden.

Practical Botany for Gardeners is more than just a useful reference book on the science of botany and the language or horticulture. It is a practical, hands-on guide that will help gardeners at all levels better understand how plants grow, what affects their performance, and how to get better results. And, it was co-published with England's Royal Botanic Gardens and the Kew Garden — talk about impeccable credentials and expertise! Also, check out author Geoff Hodge's cred and "royal" background in About the Author below.

Practical Botany for Gardeners provides an elegant and accessible introduction to the world of botany. It presents the essentials that every gardener needs to know, connecting explanations of scientific facts with useful gardening tips.

For easy navigation, the book breaks down key areas and terminology with chapters arranged by theme, such as plant types, plant parts, inner workings, and external factors, including pests. It is further subdivided into useful headings such as "Seed Sowing" and "Pruning".

Flip to the pruning section that both defines "lateral buds" and explains how far back on a shoot to cut in order to propagate them. In the roots section, you’ll not only learn how different types of roots support a plant but also find that adding fungi to soil aids growth.

The "Botany in Action" boxes provide instantly accessible practical tips and advice, And the "Great Botanists" spreads profile the remarkable individuals who collected, studied and illustrated the plants we grow today.

Illustrated throughout with more than 200 beautiful botanical prints and simple diagrams, Practical Botany for Gardenerscontains easy-to-understand explanations of over 3,000 botanical words and terms, and shows how these can be applied to everyday gardening practice.

Part handbook, part reference, Practical Botany for Gardeners is a beautifully captivating read that helps unlock the wealth of information that lies within the intriguing world of botanical science. It’s a must for gardeners, urban farmers, garden lovers, and backyard botanists who want to grow their own plant knowledge and understanding to help their gardens — or patio farms — thrive!

Geoff Hodge, BSc, MI Hort, is a gardening and horticultural writer living in Peterborough, UK, and the former gardening editor for the UK's Gardening News.

He has always been interested in plants and gardening, and after getting his degree in agricultural botany from Reading University, UK, he veered more toward horticulture. He started his career managing garden centers, learning about garden plants and gardening by handling a huge number of cultivated plant species.

For the last 23 years, he has communicated this love by writing about gardening for national newspapers, gardening magazines and websites. He has written seven books on gardening, including four for the UK's Royal Horticulture Society on allotment, propagation techniques and pruning and training.

He regularly talks to gardeners and helps them with their gardening questions and problems on BBC radio, at flower shows, gardening clubs and horticultural societies across England.

The Life of Plants — E.J.H. Corner

$24.95

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Highly original, artfully written, beautifully and originally illustrated. The Life of Plants masterfully combines the macroscopic and microscopic into a well-balanced whole, the best work of its kind that I have ever seen. It is new in concept, new in approach, new in examples...the book lives and breathes.

— Richard Evans Schultes, Science

Author E.J.H. Corner's (see About the Author below) The Life of Plants is not only a perennial favorite, it is considered one of the most fascinating and original introductions to the world of plants ever produced. From the botanist to the amateur, no reader will finish this book without gaining a much richer understanding of plants, their history, and their relationship with the environments around them.

Time to unlock your inner botanist and experience Corner's infectious enthusiasm introducing the reader to the world of plants that surround us all.

The New American Herbal — By Stephen Orr

$19.95

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"Passion seems to be the guiding force behind this volume—an epic, encyclopedic, and utterly beautiful tome devoted to the cultivation and appreciation of herbs in America. Created during weekends upstate with almost full creative freedom, the book is as much a compendium of herbal facts, lore, and uses as it is a reflection of its creator—witty anecdotes and observations pepper the book’s writing and Orr’s own stunning photographs fill its pages.

While many gardening books can have the charm of an automotive manual, mere compilations of growing tips and run-of-the-mill images, Orr’s book covers its bases (everything from tried-and-true choices like thyme and lavender to more off-beat selections like hemlock and marijuana) with style. Both a great read and an indispensible resource for everything from gardening to cooking, this beautifully designed book is just as at home on a gardener’s shelf as it is on the nightstand or coffee table."

"Orr’s affection for herbs shines through every well-researched page of this book; his wonder and delight are infectious...And he knows that just because a book is useful and intelligent, it doesn’t have to look scholarly and dull. Orr’s beautiful photographs have an approachable aura of romance."

— The New York Times Book Review

From modern garden master Stephen Orr comes a new, definitive book on herbs to finally replace the dusty and outdated classics. Here are entries on hundreds of plants that are extraordinarily useful in cooking, homeopathy, and more; dozens of recipes and DIY projects; and beautifully styled photographs so you know just what you’re growing!

With more than 900 entries — including 40 delicious recipes —, each accompanied by brand new photography and helpful growing advice, The New American Herbal takes the study of herbs to an exciting new level.

Orr covers the entire spectrum of herbaceous plants, from culinary to ornamental to aromatic and medicinal, presenting them in an easy to use A to Z format packed with recipes, DIY projects, and stunning examples of garden design highlighting herbal plantings.

Learn about the herbs you’ve always wanted to grow (chervil, chamomile, and lovage), exotic herbs (such as Artemisia, the bitter herb used in Absinthe, or the anti-inflammatory Meadowsweet), and ornamental varieties (Monkshood and Perilla).

For cooks there is indispensable guidance on planting and maintaining a bountiful kitchen garden and crafters will delight in dozens of exciting new uses for fresh, dried, and distilled herbs.

Here, too, are 40 delicious recipes, as well easy steps for projects such as a hanging herb garden and instructions on how to plant, dry, and preserve your garden’s bounty.

Meticulously researched and exhaustive in its scope, The New American Herbal is an irresistible invitation to explore the versatility of herbs in all their beauty and variety.

Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World — Ben-Erik Van Wyk

$32.00

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Basil, cumin, curry powder, cilantro, ginger, nutmeg, rosemary…

For centuries, herbs and spices have been an integral part of many of the world’s great cuisines. But spices have a history of doing much more than adding life to bland foods. They have been the inspiration for, among other things, trade, exploration, and poetry.

Priests employed them in worship, incantations, and rituals, and shamans used them as charms to ward off evil spirits. Nations fought over access to and monopoly of certain spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg, when they were rare commodities. Not only were many men’s fortunes made in the pursuit of spices, spices at many periods throughout history literally served as currency.

In Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World, Ben-Erik van Wyk (see About the Author below﻿) offers the first, fully illustrated, scientific guide to nearly all commercial herbs and spices in existence. Van Wyk covers more than 150 species — from black pepper and blackcurrant to white mustard and white ginger — detailing the propagation, cultivation, and culinary uses of each. This comprehensive work also is a collaborative effort with England's Kew Royal Botanical Garden.

Introductory chapters capture the essence of culinary traditions, traditional herb and spice mixtures, preservation, presentation, and the chemistry of flavors, and individual entries include the chemical compounds and structures responsible for each spice or herb’s characteristic flavor.

Many of the herbs and spices van Wyk covers are familiar fixtures in our own spice racks, but a few — especially those from Africa and China — will be introduced for the first time to American audiences.

Van Wyk also offers a global view of the most famous use or signature dish for each herb or spice, satisfying the gourmand’s curiosity for more information about new dishes from little-known culinary traditions.

With over 600 color photographs, Culinary Herbs & Spices of the World is THE reference guide to more than 150 different culinary herbs, spices and flavourings from all the well-known culinary traditions of the world.

Introductory chapters include a concise overview of the main culinary traditions of the world and a fascinating glimpse into the chemistry of taste and flavor.

People all over the world are becoming more sophisticated and demanding about what they eat and how it is prepared. Culinary Herbs and Spices of the Worldwill appeal to inquisitive foodies, in addition to gardeners and botanists.

Ben-Erik van Wyk is professor of botany at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. He has a research interest in systemic botany and plant utilization and currently holds a National Research Chair in indigenous plant use. and the author of several best-selling books on plants and plant use.

Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World is his latest book in the successful international series, including Medicinal Plants of the World and Food Plants of the World, that have been translated into several languages.